Sanctuary of the Madonna di Cotrino

Just outside the historic centre of Latiano, surrounded by centuries-old olive groves, a visit to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Cotrino will take you to a place of peace and deep reflection, an experience of intense connection between nature and spirituality.
This famous sanctuary of the Marian cult was built on the site of the discovery of a Byzantine icon with the holy image of the Madonna and Child, a story that has its origins in a miraculous event that occurred in 1605, when Mary appeared to a deaf, dumb and blind peasant girl, curing her and showing her the place where her image was hidden.
There is evidence that the Sanctuary was built in the middle of the Middle Ages in 1377, but it was only after the miracle that it became the place of pilgrimage and worship that it is today. The current appearance of the church is the result of a major restoration in 1882, when the neoclassical façade was rebuilt and the interior renovated. On the whole, the simple and recent architecture of the building seems to say little about its ancient origins, but it is enough to enter and raise one's eyes to the sacred image placed in the centre of the high altar to take a step back in time and be transported by the miraculous atmosphere it still evokes today.
Next to the Sanctuary is the modern Cistercian monastery, built in 1915, with its majestic church, the work of engineers Oronzo and Luigi Sticchi, which is also a place of pilgrimage throughout the year.